A successful brochure design

Brochures are pretty essential for marketing, proven to be an incredibly successful tool. Whether you're using brochures as a guide to your business, a way to drive traffic to a location - online or off - or an opportunity to sell, there is no doubt that they are a great investment. However, in order to get the most from that investment, a brochure needs to be well designed (like with anything else).

The initial steps

Before you get to the physical design of your brochure, it's probably best to gather intelligence to inform the rest of the process. Start with an analysis of your ideal customer - what information are they looking for, what kind of design might they respond to and what tone of voice are they likely to engage with? Make sure that you have defined your brand personality and you know what the key message of the brochure is - your design should support your brand identity and the call to action.

Practical tips

It's quite easy to get carried away at the design stage so, before you get there, set your price limit. Start with budget-per-print and make sure this includes materials, printing and volume. At this stage, you should also be defining your metrics for success - this will give you insight into whether the brochure has actually worked. It could be anyhting, from signing up for email lists to generating web traffic. Ensure you customise the call to action so that you can see the response (e.g. for web traffic, use a custom URL so you can see how many visitors arrived via the brochure).

The design itself

Integrate your brand identity. From the colours you use, shapes, images and spacing, the brochure should be consistent with your brand.

Consider a layout that will appeal to your ideal costumer. Do they respond best to illustrations, imagery and graphics or blocks of text?

Choose an appropriate brochure type. That could be a Z-folding brochure, a double gate or an accordian fold - what is the best way to display the content and make sure it is easy to digest?

Start with your images. You'll need high quality, rights-free images that work well with the themes of the brochure.

Be flexible about the copy. The brochure content is essential and should be created early on but it's crucial to be flexible about it, as it may need to be adjusted when you're making decisions about layout, font, etc.

Smart layout is essential. Focus on the call to action and make that the focal point. Break up text so that it's easy to digest and use headings and images to make the brochure a smooth and logical read.

The final stages

When the brochure is ready to print you'll need to cast a critical eye over it. Is the message obvious, does the call to action stand out and is the brochure attention-grabbing enough? Choose your paper and ink carefully - a beautifully designed brochure will be completely undermined by low quality paper. Finally, make sure you choose the right printer, offering all the service options you might need - colour-matching, printed or digital proofs and results within your designed timetable.

Get in touch with us for more brochure design or anything else that tickles your fancy.

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